


Out with a Bang

by azure112



Series: BBS oneshots [8]
Category: Banana Bus Squad, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Grand Theft Auto Setting, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Physical hurt/comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 04:28:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28594002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azure112/pseuds/azure112
Summary: Evan knows that he's a screw up. Constantly pulling shenanigans and throwing everyone off of their feet, he knows that his partners hate working with him sometimes. And one day, he tries to change that.On a heist gone horribly, horribly wrong, Evan finds himself in a precarious position with an unsolicited rocket launcher at hand. Naturally, he opts to make a big bang.Of course, his friends are far from pleased by the damage he inflicts upon himself in the process.
Series: BBS oneshots [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2062383
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	1. I'm Alright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go wrong during a heist, and the crew turn to some drastic measures to get out of a rather sticky situation.
> 
> Evan knows that he is always messing up his friends, and constantly screwing them over. Tonight, he doesn't want to leave a disappointment.

Things weren't going as expected.

Granted, considering the business that they were in, things almost  _ never _ went according to plan, and the injuries and inconveniences were only a part of the hustle. Heists were incredibly unpredictable, and it was never long before things quickly went South. Evan wasn't going to deny what had become customary in their everyday life, but that wasn't to say that things were particularly ideal. Of course they were not.

For starters, the group had been caught.

A huge horde of guards were gathered around the base of the signal, eyes darting about in a frantic manner as they tried to get a visual lock on their foes. Someone had infiltrated the base, but they didn't know who. The hangar was large, but there were only so many exits. One group dispersed to case the joint, while some others left to protect their valuables. Some of them had swarmed perhaps a little too close to comfort to where Evan and his friends were hiding, intruders in every sense of the word. They had stopped to tend to the wounded, and figure out an escape. There was only so much that they could handle, and this horde was far too big.

The high pitched squeal of a siren rang loudly in his ears, almost causing his head to spin. Someone had been spotted, they knew, and judging by the chorus of yells and accusations that had been thrown about, it seemed evident that David had been walking with heavy strides, and the guards had been alerted. However, someone drew attention to a dead body, presumably left behind by Brock, and someone else complained loudly about the volume of Tyler's voice.

As Evan scoped the area for a viable exit, he felt his heart sink, silent and almost certain that it might have been him who had been spotted. The owl mask laid heavy on his shoulders, and even more so on his neck, and he knew that it was almost always he who got caught. Be it dessamating a valuable piece of equipment, or carelessly manhandling a rocket launcher, Evan knew that the blame could always be pinned right back to him. The fact that it wasn't right now led him to be slightly suspicious of that every revelation.

As it stood, he could feel an ache in his chest, and something told him that it was from a busted rib. His initial landing had been far from smooth, and in an attempt to get by, someone else's grenade had caused him a great deal of damage. Maybe that had triggered the enemies, and informed them of their presence. Either ways, he was gravely hurt, and the group was in a dire situation.

Perhaps that was why he had a Rocket Launcher, somehow fully loaded and completely untouched. The heavy equipment was slung around his back right now, present in case of an emergency. Pain coursed through his entire body as he lugged it around, but Evan walked it off as though it were nothing, undoubtedly sick of disappointing his crew.

"It doesn't matter who alerted the guards! We have to get out of here, immediately!" Tyler finally announced, fuming and completely outraged. It was the best call, Evan thought, for the blame game had finally come to an end. He watched silently as Tyler's hands shook, a clenched fist twitching with a mix of fury and rage. "Who has the files?!"

"I do." Marcel stated affirmatively, and Tyler nodded in acknowledgement. They had recovered what they had come for. Good. The endeavour was not a complete waste.

"Marcel, Scotty, Brock. You fuckers go board the helicopter, we need that for the next heist." Tyler ordered, and the men in question simply nodded in response, before starting to scatter. He then turned, first to look at Brian, then at David, and then directly at Evan. His gaze lingered longest at him, cold and steely. A silent warning, that there was absolutely no room for mistakes. "I'm not going to trust you to fly that thing." Accusation leaked into his voice with absolutely no reservation, but Evan wasted absolutely no time in nodding his head, succumbing to the insult. He wasn't going to fight it.

"The four of us, we're going to make a distraction. I saw cars by the left wing, if we can draw their attention there, we can lead them away from the heli." The authority in his voice felt weaker, but Evan took no notice of the change. For once, he was actually listening. He had no intentions of endangering anyone else, if he could help it.

"I mean, we still have this thing." Brian spoke with a smirk on his face, a red glint shining from his metallic eye. For now, he had discarded his incredibly, incredibly stupid looking horse mask. He tapped on the rocket launcher strapped to Evan's back, and let the sound ring in the air for a fraction of a second. Evan winced at the impact, and held a hand to his chest, firmly gripping the place where it hurt. "How many shots have you got right now?"

"All of them," Evan chuckled lightly, letting the tension seep out of his shoulders, and the anxiety out of his chest. He could handle explosives, and he could handle them well. Maybe, just maybe, his shoulders wouldn't give out until the final showdown. "I haven't fired a single rocket tonight. We're loaded, if we want to blow shit up, that is."

Evan could feel the eyes bore into him. An unspoken astonishment lingered in the air, and it weighed heavy on him. 'Oh wow, Vanoss hasn't blown us up for once! He didn't completely ruin the mission!' No one said a word, but Evan knew that it was right at the tip of their tongues. Only a slither away from being spat out and laughed about. Evan knew what they were going to say. He was ready to banter, but they let the moment slip. More pressing matters were clearly at hand.

"Okay. Brian, you go with Evan." Tyler paused for a moment, giving Brian enough time to roll his eyes and let out a long, extended sigh.

"Do I have to be stuck with this guy?" He spoke off handedly, though a smile crept up his face, completely betraying his excitement for the mission ahead. The two worked well together, if they weren't busy being at each other's throats. And, it had been way too long since they  _ hadn't  _ been at each other's throats. Were they still that good of a team?

"Yes, and you have no say on the matter" the response was prompt, and Brian simply nodded his head in a sarcastic manner, prompting Evan to laugh as he began to mouth Tyler's words. Tyler, in the meanwhile, had turned his attention back to David, and all of them could already see how much he was regretting picking this guy as his partner. However, there was too much at stake to leave this guy behind. "Alright, Nogla, we're going to hijack two cars-"

David argued. "Tree."

"Nogla, that's not- you know what, it doesn't fucking matter. We're going to hijack a bunch of cars, while Evan, you shoot some rockets  _ away _ from the chopper." Tyler insinuated the word 'away', almost accusing Evan of being that stupid. In mild annoyance, Evan would have done the exact opposite, however, their situation right now was dire. They needed to make it out of the hangar, alive and in one piece.

"One of us can be your getaway driver, Evan." David interjected, with a bubbly excitement in his tone that cheered him up ever so slightly. "You just hold them off until one of us can pick you up. This'll be easy!"

"I sure hope so." Evan laughed dryly, straightening from a slouch to stand at full height. His hand never once left his chest, still holding it up as he winced underneath his mask. They didn't need to know. "You can count on me to keep them busy. Just- don't fucking leave us behind!" He squinted his eyes in a suspicious manner, though no one could have seen it considering the get up he was in. "I know you want to, so don't be a bitch."

"Don't worry, we won't, we won't." David cooed as he waved a hand, his tone light as though he were reassuring a child.

"Brian, I'm counting on you to keep you both from dying!" Tyler wagged a finger at Brian, who simply mouthed a 'yessir' as he lifted a hand up to salute. As much as Evan despised the Terroriser at times, he definitely wasn't the worst partner to have right about now. As long as they made sure to get along, things were going to be fine. As long as he held his own until everything had settled, there was no way that they were going to fail this now. No way.

And, maybe there was a better way to do things. A plan which didn't involve an obviously injured man child to create a distraction with the most destructive weapon they had at hand. No one would have let him endanger himself, if they knew of his injuries.

So no one had to know.

Taking one final scope of the area, the group wished each other the best of luck before finally starting to disperse.

Evan darted about, never once letting his guard down, nor letting the weight of the rocket burden him in any way. What had been strapped to his back for the entire evening was now in his hands, being handled as though it were an ordinary weapon. If someone were to jump him now, there was a far from pretty surprise aimed directly at their face.

Brian stuck by him for the most part, with a more conventional weapon at hand. "What's the plan, mister Vanoss?" He asked with a quirked eyebrow, and Evan simply shrugged, his eyes suddenly flickering and trailing up to the scaffolding that overlooked the entire hangar. On the sides were a long set of stairs that led to the different floors before eventually rising up to the ceiling.

"You take that side, and I'll take this one" Evan commanded, his gaze fixed onto his next destination. "I'm about to do something stupid, you might want to- uh- stand back a bit."

He ran towards the stairs, deciding that high ground would be his best option for now, seeing as he needed to have a good shot of all of their foes. Besides, what better way to be seen than to rain down highly explosive rockets from a place where no one could possibly miss it?

As he ran across the precarious scaffolding that hung over the entire hangar, he could see the first group near the helicopter, barely catching sight of Scotty and Brock waiting by the blades. Marcel seemed to be sitting in the backseat, reading through the documents and waiting for the vehicle to take flight. There were no guards protecting the vehicle, but there were plenty within shooting distance, readily available to take down the chopper, if need be.

On the other side of the hangar, he could see David and Tyler running out into the parking lot, seemingly arguing over which cars to take. They didn't agree upon a single one, which Evan thought was the best course of action. Two cars would surely be better than one. Underneath him, he could see guards patrolling the area, on high alert after the earlier disturbance and well equipped for combat. They knew that a threat had infiltrated the base, and they had gathered around the last known point of contact like moths to a flame, searching for a foe they hadn't yet seen.

Evan was in a dangerous position, only a gust of wind away from falling off the edge, right to his demise. However, he needed to put on a show, and in true Vanoss fashion, he needed it to be extravagant and grand. He lifted up his gun, silently wincing at its weight, and took aim through the scope before shooting a single rocket, directly into the centre of the crowd.

Yells, screams and a large flurry of curses sounded from all directions. The resultant impact nearly threw Evan off his feet, but he maintained his balance, and laughed out loud as the people underneath took notice of his presence. The survivors took up arms and shot at him with the weapons they had, narrowly missing their every shot. Evan began to run backwards, shooting down a second rocket for good measure in a feeble attempt to injure a larger group. He made sure that all of them had begun to run up the stairs before he himself ran back into the main building, slinging the rocket launcher on his back once more and arming himself with an auto-rifle instead. He was in absolutely no shape to run.

A few minutes. A few minutes was all he needed to buy, before the helicopter would have been able to fly. A few minutes before Tyler and David would take a car, and drive out of sight. He only had a few minutes to stay alive.

_____

The hallway was long, only leading up to a labrinth from which he could not escape. The space was small, to the point where it was almost claustrophobic. Footsteps scurried forward, almost sounding like a stampede, and Evan was subject to open fire in an area where there was practically no room to miss. The outside world was only a few more steps away, and he could practically see the other side. But, was there enough time?

He held back a yell as he fell forward, his hand immediately reaching down to clench around a newly opened wound. Gunshots refused to cease, and he forced himself to keep running forward, stumbling over his every step as he tried desperately to get closer to the only way  _ out _ of this enclosed space, where less shots were bound to land. Warmth pooled up around his hip, and his head was already starting to feel light from the blood loss.

Not good. Definitely not good.

Did he even dare to turn around and shoot? No, he decided firmly. He couldn’t afford to stand still. Another shot landed, right on his shoulder, and Evan fell to the ground, his head crashing against the concrete floor. The familiar iron scent filled his senses completely, and for a moment, he thought that this was the end. His grip was far too firm on the handles of his rifle, and the sudden collision had hurt his wrists. The uneven metal pressed up his chest, hard enough to bruise.

Shoving the nozzle down against the pavement, he tried to use the gun as support as he tried briefly to get back on his feet, but he could hear the footsteps closing in. He had been caught up to, and there was no way he could evade them any longer, considering the shape he was in.

For a moment, he wondered if the others had managed to take off by then. For a moment, he wondered if he had bought enough time, and for a moment, he feared that he hadn't.

He could only hear gunfire as he rose, loud and rapid, but not a single bullet hit him. Not this time. Evan could only watch as the people began to fall at his feet, while a clearly frustrated Irishman shoved his way through the crowd, carelessly stepping over the carnage as he grabbed the Canadian by the arm, swiftly dragging him away.

“That was close, you fuck” Brian spat as they entered the main hangar, where the vehicles had been kept. It only took Evan a moment to realise that the man had taken advantage of the loud, advancing crowd, and took the liberty of shooting them all from behind, before anyone caught wind of what had just happened. 'Clever', he decided, suddenly glad for a partner. If only he had stepped in just a moment sooner 

As the angry Irishman flailed about his arms, scolding the younger almost incessantly, Evan clutched his wounds firmly, trying his best to stop the bleeding. It was too dark for either of them to see the other properly, and for that, he was glad. The blood was covered by a veil of darkness, likely blending in nicely with the red jacket he had opted to wear that day. Brian didn't need to find out about the damage. He didn’t need to worry anybody else.

Quickly running by, Evan noticed that the helicopter was no longer on the helipad, and he felt comforted, knowing that he had at least done  _ something _ right. More gruff yells and curses could be heard in the distance, and he leaned onto Brian helplessly, causing the man to quiet down and hold him up. His shoulders were tense, and his gaze concerned, but Evan was far too busy fighting the delirium of sleep to take notice of anything else.

The pair ran out of sight, hiding in the darkness for a second, before the loud screech of tires alerted them both. Tyler pulled up beside them at a speed so high he nearly crashed into the two, and Brian yelled at the other man accusingly as he dragged Evan into the car, practically shoving him up against the other door. The window was busted open, and Evan nearly fell out of the other side, his mask tearing up on the tattered glass.

“Dude, careful!” Evan cried out as the car began to move, only to earn a snort from Brian.

“You have no right to say that to me! I’ve been nothing  _ but _ careful!” he exclaimed, loud and exaggerated, before squinting his eyes. “You, on the other hand. I know I told you to fire off a rocket, but wasn’t there a better place to fracking do it?!”

“I did what you guys wanted me to do! I caused a distraction- I bought time...” Loud at first, Evan’s indignant protests quickly grew quieter as he gasped sharply for air, almost curling in on himself. He reached up for his mask and threw it off of his face, leaning into the car seat as he tried desperately to catch his breath. He gripped his shoulder firmer still, rolling his arm around the joint as though he were massaging a sprain. Was the bullet still inside?

“Dude, are you alright?!” Tyler’s stern gaze had shifted into something softer, and Evan barely caught the change in the rear view mirror. He laughed breathlessly as he sputtered ever so slightly, the pain starting to settle and cloud his mind. The cold night air was refreshing against his skin, but it stung against his injured shoulder. The city of Los Santos passed them by in the distance, and Evan could feel himself being mesmerised by the bright lights. They were too far out to be caught now, and a sigh of relief bubbled deep within his chest.

“I’m fine,” he assured, before sitting back up. Both of his friends exchanged a dubious look; ones that he couldn’t quite see, but could easily feel floating in the air surrounding them. It was a look that whispered 'I don't believe you for a second'.

“Evan, you’ve been acting off all day.” Brian finally fessed up, his voice still light and taunting. However, concern weighed heavy in the way he spoke, almost forcing his tone to drop and become gentle. And way too caring for any of them to be comfortable with. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

"First, you like- perform the heist without fucking around. Second, you didn't fire a single rocket until we told you to, and third- since we got here, you haven't been fighting with us at all." Tyler sighed, struggling with words like he always did. "Honestly, I appreciate not having to deal with  _ all _ of you being dipshits, but this is downright concerning."

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Evan hummed, leaning into Brian almost subconsciously. "I'm perfectly alright…" His body eased up at the newfound warmth, and the rocky movement of the car could have easily lulled him to sleep.

Brian practically shrieked in horror as he held onto Evan, which only caused the younger to laugh. His arms had trailed around his waist, and his hands had picked up on the damp spot on his side. "Vanoss, what the fuck-" Evan leaned his head in the crook of Brian's neck, and the other man pulled him closer, holding him in a comforting manner. "Jesus fucking Christ- did you get shot?!"

The car hitched at the sudden outburst, Tyler clearly startled and practically jumping right out of his seat. He had to steer wildly to avoid crashing into a tree, and turned around to hiss at the pair, before suddenly processing what Brian had just declared. "What, what- Evan, are you alright?!"

"I'm- I'm fine…"

His breaths turned shallow, and his words went quiet. Evan's mind lingered for a moment, a shrill ringing in his ears causing his head to hurt. He closed his eyes as his muscles eased completely, going limp against Brian's body. He could feel himself holding onto that warmth.

Had the world always been this cold?


	2. I'm Still Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan's awake, and steadily recovering. His friends stick around to take care of his injuries, but also to drill into him how badly he had messed up.

Five bullet wounds. Four prominent burn marks. And far too many bruises and possibly broken bones.

By the time they had pulled Evan's body out of the car and into their hideout, both Tyler and Brian loomed over his unconscious form, wondering how the fuck he was still alive.

_____

Light bled through a window pane, shining directly into his eyes. Evan stirred ever so slightly at the disturbance, before eventually starting to wake up. Pain coursed through his entire body as he laid there, completely still, trying hopelessly to recollect his own thoughts.

What had happened?

As he reached for the spots from which the pain seemed to emanate, memories from last night began to come back to him. Underneath a gentle hand, he could feel the rough, uneven fabric of bandages. They were dry, and Evan suppressed a sigh of relief, glad that the bleeding seemed to have stopped. His joints ached terribly, but he didn't wince. Even as he laid there, still and unmoving, only surrounded by memories and pain, he couldn't help but feel glad. Everything was okay, and he had done something right.

Quietly, he tried to sit up, but something else weighed down on him. A source of warmth, wrapped loosely around his neck, weaved carefully past the injuries to put down just the slightest bit of force onto his body, and pinned him down. Evan looked up, properly this time, craning his neck just a little bit more than he had done when he had first awoken. Barely, he could catch the concerned glance of Brock looking down on him, his eyes obscured by his shades, but his eyebrows arched in a way that indicated a state of distress. He let out a deep, relieved sigh, and his lips quirked up slightly into a reassured smile, prompting Evan to do the same.

"How are you feeling, Evan?" The older man asked, his voice soft and gentle, immediately coaxing Evan to feel just that little bit safer. He was seated upright beside where the other had been sleeping, one hand pressing down gently on Evan, while the other held a phone. The younger took a moment to ease up, and Brock slowly pulled his hand away, trusting him to keep still for now.

"Everything hurts…" Evan whined, only to earn a sigh from the other man. Pain emanated from the closing bullet wounds, which he realised would have ripped open if he had gotten up too quickly. In his chest and right arm, he could feel at least a few broken bones. Someone must have tried to put parts of his body back into shape, because his arm seemed to be encased in a plaster. It wasn't like they'd have access to a hospital without being deemed suspicious, so this was probably the best treatment he was going to get.

"Do you remember how you managed to get yourself into this mess?" Brock asked, gently running his fingers through his hair, keeping his movements slow and soothing. Evan hummed thoughtfully, seemingly musing the question, or simply trying to remember. That night had quickly descended into somewhat of a disaster, so he was glad that Brock seemed to be alright. His head began to hurt as he tried to recollect the pieces, only eased by the distracting feeling of Brock's fingers in his hair. Being encouraged to give it a shot, but to not try too hard.

"Tyler told me to cause a distraction- I think it was Brian's idea…" Brock simply hummed in acknowledgement, quietly following the story. "I told Brian to stand back, I think- when i shot the rocket… there were- a bunch of goons… and- and they shot me-" Evan babbled almost aimlessly, but Brock continued to reassure him, humming periodically in affirmation. "I think- I think Brian saved me- and Nogla was just _gone_..." he chuckled slightly at the last part, clearly envisioning the Irishman hot mad and driving away in a two seater, just to prove a point in an argument that he was about to lose. It was such a Nogla thing to do.

"Did you get this hurt _while_ you were causing the distraction?" Evan shook his head thoughtlessly, and Brock quirked an eyebrow. Their eyes met for a moment, and Evan turned his head, having realised what he had just said.

"I got- I got hurt when we were landing for the heist…" he admitted softly, almost a little bit nervous. "I didn't want to bring the team down, so I just went along with it-"

"Did Brian, Tyler or Nogla know that you were hurt?" Evan looked back up, and this time, Brock was staring down at him more directly, though his gaze was still just as gentle. For a moment, he tried to search for frustration, or any signs of underlying disappointment in his features, but there were none to be found. Brock was concerned for him, and there were no ulterior motives for being so inquiring. "Did they send you in, knowing that you were in no condition to fight?"

"No, no. Of course not." Evan sighed heavily, a genuine gaze properly meeting Brock's. He knew his own expression would be one of shame, clearly guilty for having worried them at all. "Tyler would have probably shoved me in the heli with you guys if he knew. God, I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I?"

"No, you're definitely not!" The familiar Irish intonations suddenly filled the air, and Brock looked up, startled, before breaking into a smile. Evan lifted up his arms and covered his face, internally screeching to himself. Brian had entered the room, and he sounded far from pleased.

"You won't believe the shit I got from Tyler for not taking better care of your ass." He started, voice getting louder as his footsteps drew near. Evan felt the weight of the bed shift slightly as Brian sat by his feet, clearly ready to give him hell. "Listen, I'm definitely not going to be satisfied until Tyler drills into you the way he did with me. You're definitely not getting out of this one, _mister Vanoss!_ "

"I'm sorry" Evan huffed, too weak and tired to even argue properly, and Brian simply sighed in response, his breath long and heavy.

"That... doesn't matter. I'm just glad you're alright." His voice had dropped slightly, and Evan quickly picked up on the sorrow that lingered in his words. "I thought- I thought we'd lost you for a sec there… I thought I'd gotten you killed…" a dry laugh broke through mid sentence, only insinuating the weight that it carried. The air hitched, and tensed considerably. It wasn't everyday that Brian even hinted at the fact that he cared for any of his friends. It was a truth they knew to be fact, but always remained unspoken. None of them really knew how to be affectionate.

And especially not Brian.

"I'm… sorry…" Evan sighed, less harsh and more genuine this time around. He felt absolutely terrible.

Brian only huffed in response. "Like that's going to fix anything."

The silence that followed was agonisingly tense, and it wasn't long before Brian rose to his feet, standing up and starting to walk away. "Brock, keep an eye on him, will you? I'm going to tell the others that this motherfucker's woken up."

Evan could only listen as the door clicked shut behind him as he left.

Yeah. There was no way that he was getting out of this one.

_____

That day, it had only been Evan, Brock and Brian in the house. Tyler and Marcel had gone to finalise the contract which had prompted them to go on the heist in the first place, while Scotty and David had left to form a new one. Brock had asked to stay behind to take care of their injured friend, and Brian had decided to help him mother the Canadian. The day went by as par for the course, even after Evan had regained consciousness, eventually ending up sandwiched between his two friends as they changed his bandages and cleaned up the wounds. The three had a fairly good time hanging out together.

In the late evening, when everyone had finally returned, Evan was quick to realise that Brian was absolutely right about Tyler.

He was pretty damn pissed.

"So, you're telling me that you fucking _knew_ you were injured, you _knew_ you were in pain, and you _knew_ you couldn't fight, but you did it anyways?" Tyler spoke with gritted teeth, clearly fuming, but trying to keep his composure nonetheless. He wasn't mad at Evan, no matter how much it seemed like it. He was more disappointed in himself for never having noticed the tension in his shoulders, or the shudder in his voice as he winced repeatedly during the whole ordeal. In retrospect, it was obvious that something had been off.

"Evan, if you'd said anything at all, we could have called off the whole operation" Marcel added, his words accompanied by a heavy sigh. The group had gathered in the living room, with everyone taking up various spaces in the couch and on the floor, practically surrounding Evan but not making it uncomfortably obvious. 

Evan, in the meanwhile, had made himself comfortable on the couch, sitting curled up on himself and leaning onto Brian, the person who had the best grasp on the situation. Silently, he was trying to ask for help, and repeatedly, he had been refused. Brock would have done a better job of protecting him, he knew, but the man had left for the kitchen when the horde arrived, opting to get everyone a drink now that they had all gathered once more.

In this situation, Evan was all alone.

"It- it wasn't _that_ bad-"

"Evan, your arm was completely busted! And you were bleeding out from everywhere!" David interjected, flailing his arms about for dramatic effect. From his spot on the floor, he swatted at pretty much everyone's legs with that single motion. "You're lucky you didn't fucking die up there! What if you shot the RPG, and it flung you off the edge? What if Brian hadn't come back to help you? What if Tyler wasn't driving so fast, and you lost too much blood by the time you got back? And then what?"

"As much as I hate siding with Nogla, he's right…" Scotty finally sighed, harshly shoving an elbow into David's side. "None of us should act so carelessly. I don't know what we would have done if we'd lost you there, Evan."

Evan curled in on himself some more, growing smaller still. He had clear intentions, and it was to avoid this very situation. He had been tired of being considered a screw up, but had done exactly that. Somehow, the gentle chastisement hurt more than the verbal abuse he had grown accustomed to. "I- I said I'm sorry… I just- I didn't want to fuck up again… I didn't want to make you mad…"

"Evan…" Brian sighed, hugging the younger man to his chest, holding him close with a grip that was firm yet gentle. "You're a fucking dumbass, you know? You know we care more about you than we do about the stupid heist." Evan leaned into him, hugging back as tightly as he could with his weakened arms. Brian rested his chin on his head, gently nuzzling his hair. "You're a fuck up sometimes, but I'm sorry you thought that that was the best way to make it up to us."

From behind him, he could hear Tyler sigh. "No heists for you until everything heals, understand? And no hiding shit, either!"

Evan simply sighed and nodded. He felt like a child, to the truest degree. "Makes sense, I guess."

"You guys done scolding him yet?" Brock suddenly spoke up, stepping into the room and placing down a tray on the coffee table, before sitting on the armrest of the couch. "A five to one situation doesn't seem very fair now, does it?"

"Dude shot a rocket at like twenty bastards, he'll be fine." Brian laughed, fondly rolling his eyes. "It could be worse, but I think we're all too glad that this dumbass managed to survive."

"Somehow" Scotty added from nearby, chuckling ever so slightly as he picked up a drink. There didn't seem to be anything alcoholic present on the table, which was definitely for the best.

"Definitely was a big distraction. We could hear the commotion even as we were flying away." Marcel spoke with a grin, clearly heaving breaths in an attempt to calm himself down. "I should have known that there would have been rockets involved. But I swear to God, Tyler, what the fuck were you thinking, letting Evan shoot the damn thing?!"

"It was Brian's idea!" Tyler was quick to point out.

"My idea was to shoot a rocket. Not 'stay quiet and not tell anyone that I'm literally about to die'." Brian snapped back immediately, picking up a glass and taking a sip. "What the fuck was Nogla doing when all that was happening?"

David chuckled. "I was being productive. I took a solid, super fast looking car-"

"Which was a two seater" Tyler added in, rolling his eyes. "I told him that you'd be together, and would need to be picked up at the same time. But _no._ Speed is clearly more important."

"Did you see how busted _your_ car was?" David raised a brow. "It was slow. And it got shot. One of the windows was completely shattered."

"It was fast enough." Tyler huffed. "And it managed to save a certain someone even though he didn't have safety at the back of his mind-"

"It's getting pretty late," Brock pointed out, gesturing to the clock that was hanging on the opposite wall. "We've all had a long day, and Evan probably needs rest. How about we call off ganging up on him until tomorrow?"

Everyone knew that Brock was simply trying to change the subject, and spare Evan until everyone else was in a better state of mind. He didn't try to hide that fact, either, and maybe it was for the best. Tyler shot a final glare at Evan, squinting at him in a suspicious manner. "I say we could all do with some sleep. But I do not want this to be a repeat occurrence."

"Yeah, yeah. It won't." Evan was perhaps a little too quick to respond, practically cutting Tyler off before he had even finished speaking. But the older man simply heaved a sigh and stood up, prompting some others to do the same. It wasn't long before almost everyone had retreated to their bedrooms to call it a night, only leaving Evan and Brian behind.

"Need help walking back, or are you good?" The Irishman inquired, gently ruffling the younger's hair.

"I think I'll make it back." Evan smiled in response, appreciative of the gesture and everything that he had done for him. "You should probably head back and recharge, mister Terminator. You've been dealing with me all day, after all."

"Yeah, I think I'll need a full year's worth of rest after yesterday." Brian laughed, waving him off before leaving the room as well.

Evan watched in silence as the final figure disappeared down the hall, leaving him all alone in a vast and empty space. It was a short walk to his room, so he rose to his feet and held onto the bruised and injured parts of his body, almost supporting himself as he moved. He'd make it back, he knew. He had already made it through so much worse.

The cold night air sent shivers down his spine.

A silent reminder that he was still alive.


End file.
